


Call it Mercy

by stellacanta



Category: Subarashiki Kono Sekai | The World Ends With You
Genre: M/M, spoilers for secret reports
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-01-22
Packaged: 2019-10-14 07:11:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,005
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17503982
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/stellacanta/pseuds/stellacanta
Summary: Sanae Hanekoma hadn't expected a visitor that day. The cafe was closed, and a new Game was due to start in just a few days. So when the door opened apropos of nothing, he couldn't help but be a little curious.





	Call it Mercy

The door to the café opened with a soft click. Sanae Hanekoma blinked at the noise and glanced towards the front in confusion. The café was closed today, and he wasn’t sure why anyone would want to come in. He was about to say as much when he saw who was at the door. It was Joshua.

Sanae gulped as Joshua closed the door gently. The younger man’s expression looked troubled and he wasn’t meeting his gaze. There was a sinking feeling in his gut as to why Joshua would be here. There was a Game that the Composer had to get ready for and- Well, it wasn’t a good sign when the Composer of Shibuya showed up on his Producer’s doorstep without warning wasn’t it?

(He had a feeling he knew what it was about too.)

“Yo, Josh. Did’ya need something from me?”

He was met with only silence as Joshua walked to the counter and rested his head on the hard surface. Sanae watched him for a while before he rubbed the back of his neck and turned around, eh, maybe Joshua just needed some rest. It always got just a bit busy before a Game after all.

Joshua startled him when he finally spoke, seeing as how he wasn’t expecting it. “Were you ever going to tell me?”

 “Tell you what?” Sanae get his voice cheerful and his expression calm, maybe he was wrong and this wasn’t about what he thought it was.

“Tell me that it wasn't you who taught Sho Minamoto about the taboo noise refinery sigils.” Joshua was looking right at him, his eyes sharp.

He sighed, no getting past Josh when he was in this state. (He hated it when he was right.) Sanae opened his mouth to speak the truth but found it hard to get the words out. “I’m sorry Josh,” he said softly a moment later. When he peered at Joshua over his glasses, there was a softness to his gaze. “I care about ya, but you were gonna erase Shibuya. I couldn’t have you do that. Shibuya’s too important.”

“More important than me? You _do_ realize if your plan had gone awry you could have easily killed me in the process, right?” Joshua didn’t raise his voice, but he also didn’t need to. Somehow being told that in his normal tone was enough to convey the rage that he was sure Joshua was barely being kept beneath the surface. (To say nothing of the hurt.)

“Joshua, I’m sorry. You’re important to me and I wouldn’t have-“

“-save it, Hanekoma.” Sanae shut up immediately. Joshua always called him Sanae, or Mr. H on occasion, but never just Hanekoma.  “It wasn’t just me that was at risk here. Several players and reapers got erased because of your actions. Prematurely erased may I add.” Joshua looked away from him to his phone that he began to play around with. “Sure, everything was undone when I rebuilt Shibuya and brought everyone back to life, but that doesn’t erase the serious crime that you have committed.”

Sanae gulped. So this was going to be how it was, huh? “I accept whatever crime you give to me, Joshua, and for what it’s worth, I’m deeply sorry.” He looked at Joshua, and tried, through gaze alone, tell the younger man how truly apologetic he was (and how he never wanted to hurt him this way, Joshua was too precious to Sanae for him to do that).

Joshua inhaled shakily and looked at Sanae directly in the eye. “From this day forward, I release you from your position as Producer of Shibuya. You have 24 hours to leave the district.”

Sanae gaped at Joshua as the weight of the Composer’s words slowly filled him. Released from his position as Producer? That wasn’t- Joshua gave him a shaky smile. “I asked the Angels to allow me to give the punishment since I was the one who was wronged here. Oh, they’re not happy about what I planned to do to Shibuya of course, but they gave me this much at least.”

He watched as Joshua looked around the café, a soft smile on his lips. One that seemed out of place for the usually prickly man. “I’m going to miss this place. Miss the ambience, the company, and, yes, Sanae, I’ll miss the overpriced coffee too.” The sudden bark of laughter that tore out of Sanae’s throat startled him and he couldn’t help but get a bit teary eyed as he looked towards Joshua. (Josh always did bring out that side of him.) “I guess this means that CAT and his café will be moving then,” Joshua said, getting out of his seat and heading towards the door before Sanae could react. “I’d say that I’d look forward to seeing the new place, but well, work keeps me rooted here.”

Sanae found his voice when Joshua was about to step out. “Josh!” Joshua stopped at the doorway and looked at him. Seeing him like that, illuminated from behind by the light with his hair glowing softly, he suddenly was unable to find his voice. The Composer looked beautiful like this, like the angel he wasn’t. “Take care, okay? I trust I’m leaving Shibuya in good hands.”

Joshua grinned and nodded. “Mmm, same to you, Sanae. We’ll never see each other again, but I hope that wherever you end up, you’re happy.” The door closed with a soft jingle behind him and Sanae collapsed against the counter. It was mercy that Joshua offered to him. He knew this. Whatever the Angels planned would have been much worse than what Joshua had done in the end.

And yet, when Joshua left, he took a portion of his heart with him. The portion that loved Shibuya best with all the hope and joy that a certain set of young eyes had seen so many years ago. He couldn’t help but wonder if it was really mercy that Joshua gave to him in the end or not.


End file.
